A WHOLE LOTTA JIMMY STEWART ON ONE STAGE.Byline: Julio Martinez Julio Martinez is the weekly host of KPFK Radio’s Arts in Review, is a theatre critic for Daily Variety and Features Editor of Latin Heat Magazine. His articles have appeared in Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, Backstage West, L.A. Correspondent THE DISTINCTIVE voice and mannerisms of film legend Jimmy Stewart (1908-1997) have always been easy pickings for celebrity impressionists ever since the lanky, slow-talking New Englander New England A region of the northeast United States comprising the modern-day states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. New Eng achieved stardom in the 1939 Frank Capra classic ``Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.'' In the Theatre West premiere of the two-hour-plus one-person bio drama, ``James Maitland Stewart,'' actor/writer Steve Nevil eschews caricature and impressively inhabits the persona of the late movie star. What he fails to do is adequately edit the reams of biographical material - co-adapted by Nevil and director Ted Snyder This article is about the composer and lyricist. For the economist and dean, see Ted Snyder (economist). Ted Snyder (August 15 1881 - July 16 1965), was a U.S. composer and lyricist. His hits include "The Sheik of Araby" (1921) and "Who's Sorry Now?" (1923). . A potentially humorous and informative excursion into the life of one of the 20th century's most memorable entertainers becomes bogged down by a plethora of unnecessary biographical minutiae mi·nu·ti·a n. pl. mi·nu·ti·ae A small or trivial detail: "the minutiae of experimental and mathematical procedure" Frederick Turner. . Set in the living room of Stewart's Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. home late at night in 1994, the action follows Nevil's Stewart as he putters around a collection of memorabilia from his life. It is six months after the death of his wife, Gloria, and Stewart fears he is getting too forgetful. As a springboard to launch into a series of remembrances, Stewart actually calls out to the audience to act as a kind of memory bank for him so the incidents of his past don't get lost. Nevil is dead on in his measured approach, always allowing the perfect amount of space between words and sentences to achieve that memorable Jimmy Stewart delivery. Even Stewart's much-lampooned stutter stut·ter n. A phonatory or articulatory disorder characterized by difficult enunciation of words with frequent halting and repetition of the initial consonant or syllable. v. To utter with spasmodic repetition or prolongation of sounds. is realized as a natural result of the actor's thought process. As he wanders about the sprawling living room (beautifully detailed by scenic designer We Happy Few Ltd.), Stewart utilizes various props and articles of clothing to recall his early life as the son of a store owner in Indiana, Pa. He is particularly amusing as he relates his first callow excursions into acting at Princeton University Princeton University, at Princeton, N.J.; coeducational; chartered 1746, opened 1747, rechartered 1748, called the College of New Jersey until 1896. Schools and Research Facilities and as a member of the University Players. He also offers endearing anecdotes about rooming with fellow University Players alumnus ALUMNUS, civil law. A child which one has nursed; a foster child. Dig. 40, 2, 14. Henry Fonda during the early 1930s as both men struggled to establish themselves as actors in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . It is Nevil's desire to detail almost every aspect of Stewart's subsequent Hollywood career and World War II experiences that ultimately undermines the play's purpose. It would be more memorable if he distilled Stewart's film experiences with directors such as Frank Capra, Anthony Mann, Alfred Hitchcock and John Ford into more specific, tangible recollections. The same can be said for Stewart's impressive war record, rising from private to colonel in the U.S. Army Air Corps, flying missions over Germany as a bomber squadron leader. In short, Nevil's James Maitland Stewart is a memorable character with just too much on his mind. JAMES MAITLAND STEWART - Two and one half stars Where: Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Blvd. W., Los Angeles. When: 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; through May 8. Tickets: $15 to $20. (323) 362-8838. In a nutshell: Actor Steve Nevil offers an exceptional portrayal of show-biz icon Jimmy Stewart but overstays his welcome. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion